


Into a Sea of Stars

by Moon_Blitz



Category: Ookiku Furikabutte | Big Windup!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Star Trek Fusion, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-19
Updated: 2015-12-19
Packaged: 2018-05-07 18:16:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5466161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moon_Blitz/pseuds/Moon_Blitz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mihashi knows all too well that he's a slow pilot. So when he's assigned to join the crew of the U.S.S. Nishiura, he just hopes that he won't disappoint his new captain and crewmates.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Aurum](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aurum/gifts).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas, Aurum! Once I realized you were a Star Trek fan, I knew I had to do a fusion fic. Enjoy!
> 
> A big thanks to Reishiin for betaing this.

Chapter 1

“A-Awesome!” Mihashi pressed his nose against the glass window of the starbase’s docking bay, marvelling at the sheer number of ships docked inside. Numerous shuttlecraft were lined up along both sides of the bay, leaving the centre clear for the larger vessels. “Three _Antares_ -types, six _Oberth_ -class, a _Bonaventure_ -type, and a _Saladin_ -class!” he murmured to himself, pleased at being able to recognize the Federation vessels by sight alone. There were also a variety of tugs, freighters and military and civilian transports scattered around, including the transport he had just left. He had been hoping that a Constitution-class might be inside, but apparently not today. He watched the activity in docking bay for a few more minutes, then slowly turned and continued on his way. He had a meeting to get to, and he didn’t want to be late.

Thankfully, the room he was going to was in the same section of the base as the docking bay, and he managed to find it without getting lost. Pausing before the door, he tugged on the hem of his gold uniform top to straighten it. This was it, his first assignment as a Starfleet ensign, on a ship that wasn’t the Mihoshi. It would be different here. It had to be.

Stepping forward, he lifted his chin as the door whooshed open, only to stop in dismay at the sight of the empty room. Taking a quick step back, he double-checked the room number and looked around the quiet corridor for possible assistance. Seeing no one, Mihashi hesitated, then entered the room. He was probably just early. Leaning awkwardly against the wall, he tried not to fidget. Despite his best efforts, he still jumped as the door slid open and another young man bounded in.

"Ah, I wasn’t first!” he exclaimed, looking surprised. As Mihashi stared at him in confusion, he grinned and waved. “Nice to meet ya! I’m Tajima!”

“I-I’m Mihashi.” He did his best to smile back, then watched the other ensign drop into a chair.

“Do you know what ship we got assigned to?” Seeing Mihashi shake his head, Tajima frowned. “I hope it’s not something too boring. Still, it’ll be nice not to be too far away from Earth. While exploring uncharted Federation territory would be awesome, I don’t want to be away from home for five years. Besides, this way I get to meet all the hot aliens!”

He just nodded at Tajima’s grin, then looked over at the door as it opened once more. This time, a small crowd of people entered, and he immediately straightened. Most of them looked to be about his age, but he was certain his new captain was among them. He was proven right as a woman with a tablet under her arm made her way to the front of the room and turned to face them.

"Have a seat, everyone.”

Mihashi went to the chair nearest to him and sat down, watching nervously as the others did the same. Including himself, there were only eleven people present. If this was the entire crew, what kind of ship was he going to be on?

Once everyone was seated and quiet, the woman began. “I’m Lieutenant Commander Momoe, and I’ll be your captain starting now. I’m in charge of the Nishiura, a newly recommissioned _Oberth_ -class science vessel. Our missions will mostly be science-based, with the occasional odd job mixed in. Any questions so far?”

A man wearing blue uniform and with close-cropped hair raised his hand. “I do. While _Oberth_ -class ships usually have a small crew, surely we can’t be all there is?”

The captain smiled tightly and nodded. “Aside from our two medical staff, this is the entire crew for the moment. Starfleet is going through a period of expansion, so there aren’t enough personnel to go around. However, this class of ship is able to operate with only five crewmen if needed, so I don’t expect us to have any trouble. Now, how about we introduce ourselves? Say your name, rank and division. Starting with you.” She pointed to the one who had asked the question.

He rose and turned around, pausing for a moment before saying stiffly, “Hanai, ensign, science division.”

Seated behind Hanai, Tajima was next. “Tajima, ensign, tactical and engineering divisions!”

The person next to Tajima got up. “Mizutani, ensign, science division.”

“Izumi, ensign, science division.”

“Oki, ensign, engineering division.”

“Sakaeguchi, ensign, engineering as well.”

Finally, one of the few people wearing yellow stood up. “Nishihiro, ensign, communications and science divisions.”

Seated across from him, Mihashi was next. Taking a deep breath, he stood and said, “Mihashi, ensign, h-helm.” A murmur passed through those gathered, and he saw a few smiles turned his way as he sat down. He was the only helmsman of the group so far. Good, this was good.

He twisted around as the next person spoke, eyes widening. “Abe, ensign, navigation.” So this was to be his navigator? As Abe sat down, he looked at Mihashi and nodded politely. Mihashi returned the gesture, then looked away, suddenly nervous. Would Abe be different? Or would he refuse to plot a course once he learned how inefficient Mihashi was at piloting?

Lost in thought, he barely heard the final introduction of “Suyama, ensign, science division,” before the captain clapped her hands to bring all eyes back to her.

“Now that you’ve all met one another, let’s move on to your specific duties. I know you’re all ensigns and this is your first assignment, but I expect you to take your duties seriously. Nishihiro, are you comfortable with being our only communications officer?”

“Yes, ma’am!”

“Good!” Captain Momoe smiled, looking pleased. “Tajima, Oki and Sakaeguchi, I want you to decide among yourselves who will be the Chief Engineer. Hanai, Izumi, Mizutani and Nishihiro, do the same.”

He stiffened as the captain looked over at him and beckoned. Trying not to stumble, he went over to her, aware that Abe was right behind him. His nerves settled slightly as she smiled and said brightly, “Nice to meet you both! Since your roles are different than the others, I wanted to talk to you two directly first. Any questions or concerns?”

Mihashi hesitated, torn between staying quiet and telling the truth. The truth won out, and he slowly raised a hand, eyes dropping to the floor.

“Yes, Mihashi?”

“I...I...” His throat tightened, and he knew they were looking at him. “I’m a h-helmsman, but I-I’m no g-good.” There, he had said it. Said the truth that he had known for the last four years at the Academy, yet had refused to fully acknowledge.

“You graduated from the Academy, so you must have some skill,” Abe said, making him tense up even further. Yes, he had graduated, but they still didn’t understand.

“I’m slow...at p-piloting. And-” He stopped suddenly, vividly remembering how the initial teasing had turned into mocking, and finally into angry silence. How Hatake eventually stopped giving him a course to follow out of sheer disgust and left him to struggle on his own.

“And?” The captain prodded, bringing him back to reality.

“And...I can’t do w-weapons.”

“At all?” Mihashi flushed at her doubtful tone and nodded miserably.

“That’s alright, we can work around that. Tajima said he had tactical experience, and that includes starship phaser and torpedo training.”

Mihashi looked up so fast he nearly got dizzy. “R-Really?”

Captain Momoe flashed him a smile and nodded. “Yep. Are you ok with that, Abe?”

“I am,” the other ensign said with a nod. “Mihashi, why are you a slow pilot? Do you have trouble with complicated course details?”

“Ah...” Forcing himself to stare at the fan-shaped insignia on Abe’s chest instead of the floor, he stammered out, “My...my Academy navigator d-didn’t give me a course to follow. At all. Um...he did at first, but t-then he s-stopped.”

“He did _what?!_ ”

Flinching at the tone of Abe’s voice, Mihashi was distinctly aware that all other conversation in the room had stopped. This was bad. He had made Abe angry, and they had only just met. He shifted his weight from foot to foot, trying to come up with an answer that would calm him down.

“He hated how s-slow I was, and s-since I was already d-dragging everyone’s ma-marks down, he s-stopped.” He hated how his much his voice was shaking, but saying anything was better than silence.

Abe let out a low growl. “How could that bastard call himself a navigator, abandoning the helmsman like that! Captain! Can we use a simulation room now? I need to test his abilities for myself!”

Mihashi froze at his words. Test him? _Now?_ When Abe and the others saw how slow he was, they were sure to hate him, just like he classmates had.

He snuck a glance at the captain, relieved to see that she wasn’t looking at him. “No,” she said at last. “We can wait until tomorrow to see Mihashi’s skills in action. Everyone, report to loading bay sixteen tomorrow at 0700 hours. Dismissed!” Dropping her voice, she added, “Mihashi, stay a moment.”

A chorus of “Yes, ma’am!” came from all sides of the room, and the ensigns began to leave, chatting among themselves. Abe gave him a final look before nodding awkwardly and following the others out the door. Alone with the captain, he turned to face her, hands clutching the hem of his uniform as fear rose within him.

The captain consulted the tablet she carried before speaking. “Mihashi, why didn’t your instructor step in to help you?”

“F-Favouritism.”

“How so?”

Mihashi hesitated before answering, speaking slowly and trying not to stammer. “My g-grandfather holds an important post at the Academy. My instructor didn’t want to...to...interfere with me, in case he upset my grandfather.”

“So he kept you as a helmsman no matter what the cost to the other students?” She clicked her tongue in disapproval. “Academy politics at their finest, I see. Makes me glad I’m going out into space. Do you know what ship your classmates went to?”

“They a-all chose the M-Mihoshi. The _Miranda_ -class one, not the A-Academy training ship.”

“I see. Alright, that’s all I wanted to know. See you tomorrow morning.” Murmuring a quick goodbye, Mihashi hastily left the room, but stopped short when he saw one of his new crewmates leaning against the wall a little down the hallway. He stared at the red uniform for a moment, scrambling to come up with a name.

“Sakaeguchi, right?” he asked hesitantly, getting a pleased nod in return.

“Yeah. And you’re Mihashi. I didn’t see you in the mess hall this at lunch, so I thought I’d see if you needed help finding your room. This starbase is pretty big, after all.”

Mihashi looked at him out of the corner of his eye as they started walking together. Sakaeguchi wanted to...help? It seemed like a friendly offer, but after the years of silence from his classmates it came as a surprise.

“Uh...um...sure!” He did his best to smile. This wasn’t the Mihoshi, or the Academy. These people were different, right? At least, until they saw him pilot the ship tomorrow. He gave his room location and was quickly steered in the right direction. Sakaeguchi kept up a light conversation as they headed for the turbolift, talking about what he had done since he arrived and thankfully not asking any questions. It wasn’t until they had arrived at Mihashi’s room that he was forced to speak.

“Are your nerves getting to you?”

That was one way of putting it. “Y-Yeah.”

Sakaeguchi grimaced, then smiled. “I’m nervous too. I mean, I’m excited to finally be an ensign and go out into space, but it’s still a bit scary. But I’m determined to do my best!”

“Me too!” The words were out of Mihashi’s mouth before he realized it, and he quickly flushed and stared at the floor. He desperately wanted to do better than he had before, but doubt still clouded his thoughts.

Sakaeguchi patted him on the shoulder, making him jump slightly and look up with wide eyes. “That’s the spirit! About what you said earlier...” the other ensign paused, then said firmly, “I think you’re a great pilot, no matter how slow you are.”

“You haven’t-”

“Seen you in action? Doesn’t matter. The Nishiura isn’t a battleship, so quick responses don’t matter. I’ll do everything I can from Engineering to support you!” Mihashi simply stared at him, overwhelmed with emotion. He opened his mouth, trying to think of something to say, but Sakaeguchi cut him off. “Don’t thank me yet, Mihashi. Not until I do something amazing to earn it. So how about we both do our best from here on out?”

He nodded dumbly, and Sakaeguchi smiled, looking relieved. “I better go pack, so see you tomorrow. If you need anything, I’m in room 629.” With a wave, he turned and walked back towards the turbolift, leaving Mihashi standing in the hallway.

“629...” he muttered as he input the passcode for the lock. As the light came on and revealed his cramped quarters for the night, he said with a smile, “Sakaeguchi, 629!”


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Mihashi was only in his room long enough to change into casual clothes before his intercom chimed. He froze at the sound, slowly turning to stare at the door. He had a visitor? He never got visitors. His mind was just starting to whirl with thoughts of impending doom when the intercom chimed again, longer this time. Swallowing hard, he hurried to the door and unlocked it, eyes widening as it slid open to reveal an impatient-looking Abe.

“Good, you’re in. Come with me.”

“Where-” Mihashi cut himself off as Abe grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the room and down the hallway. He resisted for just a moment, flailing a hand at the keypad until he hit the lock button, then let himself be pulled along. Seemingly satisfied that he would follow, Abe released his arm as they reached the turbolift. An awkward silence fell between them as they got in, Mihashi’s mind starting to race again. Where were they going? Was something wrong? Was Abe still angry at him? Filled with questions he couldn’t answer, he stared at the floor until the turbolift stopped, then quickly followed Abe down several more hallways until he stopped at a closed door.

Glancing up quickly, he felt his stomach drop as he read the words _‘Simulation Room – Authorized Personnel Only’_ next to the door. Ensigns were allowed to sign out these rooms for personal use, but still... “The—the C-Captain-”

“-Said that she could wait until tomorrow to see your piloting skills.” Abe cut him off firmly as he opened the door and stepped inside. “I need to know tonight.” As Mihashi gaped at him, he added, “I need to know what you can do so I can navigate accordingly.”

“Y-You’ll give me a course to follow?!” Blushing at his own boldness, Mihashi dropped his eyes to Abe’s chest as the other huffed in irritation.

“Of course I will! I’m not like that idiot you trained with at the Academy. Now come on, let’s get started.”

Shuffling inside the sim room as Abe turned away, Mihashi curled his fingers around the edge of his shirt, trying to calm himself down. Abe wasn’t like Hatake, at least not yet. Captain Momoe wasn’t like his past instructor either, from what he could tell. Now that she knew what he had gone through, she would probably keep Abe and the others in line. For now, all he could do was trust that Abe would keep his word after they left port.

Realizing he was wasting time, he hurried over to the helm and sat down. As the console panel came online, he stared at the familiar buttons and smiled slightly. Even though he was terrible, he liked sitting here, piloting the ship. The helm had become like home to him during the previous four years, and in a way, he was happy that he was the only helmsman the Nishiura had. He wouldn’t be replaced. Not yet, anyway.

“Ready?” Abe’s question brought him back to reality, and he nodded silently. His stomach was churning, but there was no point in stalling any longer. Abe let out a low hum of acknowledgement, fingers moving smoothly across the navigation panel.

A course appeared on his panel a moment later, and Mihashi took a moment to study it. It was a simple one of moving from one planet to another within the same star system, taking into account the gravitational pull from the second planet’s three moons. He didn’t think Abe was trying to insult him by giving him something so easy, so he figured it was just a simple test. Squeezing his nails into his palms to steady his fingers, Mihashi started to lay in the course, keenly aware that Abe was waiting.

Inputting the final coordinates, he entered into warp and let out a shaky breath. He knew he had taken much longer than average, but Abe had waited silently throughout. Shifting uneasily in his seat, Mihashi waited for the inevitable mocking of his lack of speed.

“You-” Abe checked himself as Mihashi froze, instead finishing with a low, “Interesting.” He forced himself to relax as Abe began typing in another course. Was he angry? Mihashi couldn’t tell, and that only added to his nerves. It appeared a moment later, and he squinted at it in confusion. It was identical to the first course. Unable to shake the feeling that Abe was laughing at him, he laid in the same course as before, going slowly to avoid mistakes.

When he had finished, he made himself look over at Abe, who was staring at his navigation screen. Slowly, he swivelled his chair to face Mihashi. “This course...is the same as the first one.”

Confused, Mihashi stared at him. “T-That’s what you g-gave me...”

“No, that’s not what I meant.” Shaking his head, Abe tried again. “This course follows the exact same trajectory as the first one.” Even more confused, Mihashi just nodded. Abe rubbed a hand over his face. “You’re not getting it! Pilots – even ones that have been flying for a long time – are rarely this accurate if they have to fly the same course twice. There’s always some small difference in altitude, trajectory, and a dozen other things. You’re what, twenty-two?”

“Twenty-three.”

“Twenty-three.” Abe paused and stared at him, a strange look in his eyes. “Assuming you had basic piloting knowledge before you went to Starfleet Academy, being able to be so accurate after four years is amazing!”

“B-But I’m s-slow!” Mihashi pressed his lips together as Abe frowned, then jumped as he got out of his chair and grabbed his shoulders.

“Forget about that, Mihashi! Your level of control with a spaceship is incredible. _Incredible_.”

Abe’s nails were digging into his shoulders rather painfully, but Mihashi could only stare at him. Abe thought he was...good? That seemed almost impossible, but it didn’t sound like Abe was lying or making fun of him. Was he actually good, or was it because he had a course to follow? “I—but—you—the course—” Unable to form a coherent reply, he fell silent.

“You idiot,” Abe muttered, releasing him. “I don’t know what you’re trying to say, but you’re a good pilot. Captain Momoe should be proud to have a helmsman like you.” Dropping back into his chair, he asked, “Are you up for some more practising?”

Mihashi brightened at that. If Abe was willing to continue, that had to be a good thing. “Yeah!”

\- - -

Mihashi was surprised to see that he wasn’t the first one to arrive as the doors of loading bay slid open. Hanai was already there, and he smothered a yawn with his hand as Mihashi approached. “Morning.”

“Good morning.” Abe hadn’t kept him in the sim room too late, so he had gotten plenty of sleep and was feeling wide awake. Setting his luggage next to Hanai’s, he awkwardly moved to stand by him.

“Hey, what do you think of the captain?” Hanai was looking at him intently, and he shifted uneasily. What did he think of the captain?

“She...she seems like she knows what she’s doing...” It was fairly common for lieutenant commanders to get their own ships, but with the rarity of women in the command structure he was still rather surprised to have a female captain.

“I think so too, but what about her looks? You know, her, uh-” Hanai cast a quick look at the door, “-her body?”

 _Oh_. "I, um, think she’s pretty.” He had no idea what brought this up, but it wouldn’t hurt to be honest.

Hanai smiled and nodded at his answer. “Yeah! She’s pretty and kinda...hot.” The last word was said in a low tone, and Mihashi felt himself flush at Hanai’s meaning.

“I-I guess so...”

“Heh, so you and Tajima think so too? Well, I know she’s our commanding officer, but it’s hard not to think like that sometimes...” Hanai trailed off with an awkward laugh, and quickly turned towards the door as it opened. “Ah, morning!”

“Good morning!”

Mihashi edged away from Hanai as Mizutani and Oki entered, followed a few moments later by Abe. He shifted his weight from foot to foot as the navigator came and stood near him, but aside from an exchange of “Good morning,” they didn’t speak to each other.

Mihashi kept glancing at Abe as the other crew members trailed in, wondering what he was thinking. He had seemed pleased last night, but he could tell nothing from Abe’s face now. Maybe he was just tired, or thinking about their coming departure. Tugging on the hem of his uniform to calm himself down, he straightened as Captain Momoe entered the room, a man and a young woman behind her.

“Good morning, everyone,” she said as all eyes turned to her. “I hope you all got a good rest last night, because it’s going to be a busy day today. As I mentioned yesterday, we have two medical staff joining us – Doctor Shiga and Nurse Shinooka.”

“Hello everyone. Please come see me whenever you’re not feeling well.” The ship’s doctor looked friendly, and Mihashi found himself returning the smile he gave.

“It’s nice to meet all of you!” Nurse Shinooka said cheerfully as she looked at them, and Mihashi blushed and looked away when her gaze turned his way. A nurse would be travelling with them! Tensing up despite himself, he told himself that it was normal for nurses to be on starships. He would just have to get used to it, that’s all.

“Hey...” Abe’s voice made him look back up, and he realized that the captain was speaking.

“-your luggage. Standard Starfleet ship regulations apply once we board, and I’ll be watching closely to make sure you follow them. Engineering and science divisions, who are your chiefs?”

“I’m the Chief Engineer,” Sakaeguchi said, raising his hand slightly.

“I’ll be the Chief Science officer,” Hanai said, looking proud. Mihashi nodded slightly, pleased. From her smile, he could tell that Captain Momoe was happy too.

“Excellent. Now, on to our mission. Is anyone familiar with the Alpha Centauri system? Abe?”

Mihashi turned his attention to Abe as he started to speak. “Alpha Centauri was one of the founders of the Federation, and has been home to a human colony for well over a century. If I remember correctly, it’s about four light years from here.” Mihashi nodded to himself, remembering that they had covered Alpha Centauri in history class.

“Very good, ensign. Starfleet has assigned us to study a possible new species that has appeared on Alpha Centari B. It’ll take the Nishiura a month to get there, which is long for a ship’s first flight, but will give us time to become familiar with it and each other. Get your things, and we’ll board!”

Mihashi joined the others in grabbing their belongings, then quickly followed Abe as he walked towards the airlock corridor linking the ship to the starbase. It opened smoothly, and he looked up at the towering ship through the airlock’s glass ceiling. The _Oberth_ -class was a strange design among Federation starships – it had a split hull, the upper saucer section being connected to the oblong-shaped lower section by sturdy pylons. He smiled at the sight, feeling both nervous and excited. As he stepped aboard the Nishura a moment later, he looked at the others and knew that they felt the same as him.

“Find out what room you’re in-” Captain Momoe handed a small tablet to Hanai, “-and report to your posts in half an hour.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

\- - -

Mihashi stepped onto the bridge fifteen minutes later, returning the nod the captain gave him as he headed for his seat. A second after sitting down, the weight of the situation hit him, and he pressed his lips together to keep from grinning. He was at the helm of his first ship! Hands shaking slightly from excitement, he booted up the helm’s computer and set it in standby mode, the familiar lights and sounds helping to calm him down.

While he waited for Abe to arrive, he looked around the bridge. As usual, the viewscreen was at the very front and the captain’s chair in the centre. Navigation was to his left, and the main science station was located beyond that, up against the wall. There were several more stations leading back towards the turbolift, with communications located on the starboard side next to it. Several more stations lead to what Mihashi assumed was the bridge’s engineering station, which was level with his seat.

Captain Momoe noticed his interest and asked, “Is this your first time on this type of bridge, Mihashi?”

“Ah, yes. I’ve read about this design in manuals, but haven’t been on one before...” Thinking that it might be better to keep speaking, he added, “B-But the helm design is the standard model, so there won’t be any p-problems.”

“Good to know.” They both turned towards the turbolift as the door hissed open and Tajima entered.

“Wow, it’s so small!” he exclaimed as he looked again. Apparently seeing something in the captain’s expression, he hastily added, “No offense, ma’am! I just trained on bigger ships, that’s all.”

“None taken,” she replied, swivelling her chair back to face the front.

Looking relieved, Tajima hurried to the engineering station, flashing Mihashi a grin as he sat down. “How does the helm look, pilot?”

“A-All green!” he replied, startled by the question.

“Great. Captain, Sakaeguchi asked me if it was alright if I manned the engineering station while he remained below.”

“It’s fine with me.”

Nodding happily, Tajima focused on his controls, and Mihashi settled back in his chair. Abe, Hanai and Nishihiro arrived together a few minutes later, and he watched Abe out of the corner of his eye as the other settled into his seat.

“Helm ok?” Abe asked, fingers moving swiftly over his panel.

“Helm ok,” Mihashi confirmed. “Navigation ok?”

“Navigation ok,” Abe said, tapping a final button and leaning back slightly.

Behind Abe, Nishihiro removed his earpiece and turned towards the middle of the bridge. “Captain, all stations are manned and are ready for launch.”

“Excellent. Contact the port authority and tell them we’re ready to depart.” Nishihiro nodded and turned back to his station. Mihashi’s gaze flicked over to Abe, seeing that he looked calm and almost confident. Looking down at the helm panel, he took a deep breath. Abe had proved last night that he wasn’t Hatake. Abe would give him a course to follow.

The viewscreen flickering to life made him look up, and he marvelled once more at the vast docking bay. The path before them was clear, but he could see activity along the far side of the bay. Minor repairs, he concluded, watching tiny flashes of light from welding torches for a moment.

“Port authority says we’re clear for launch.” Mihashi felt his shoulders tense up, but one look at Abe’s fingers laying in a course for him settled his nerves.

“Take out out, ensign. Impulse power, cruising speed.”

“Yes, captain.” Good, his voice wasn’t shaking. The course trajectory appeared on his main screen a second later, and he carefully began to input the commands. Barring some other pilot making a mistake, they shouldn’t have any trouble launching. He could sense that he was being watched, but oddly, that thought didn’t scare him as much as it had in the past. Distant sounds were heard as the mooring grapples detached, the engine hummed louder, and then they were moving.

Two tugs moved in to flank the ship in case trouble arose, but the Nishiura flew smoothly through the docking bay and out into open space. The tugs stayed with them until they had moved a distance away from the starbase, then peeled off.

“Good job, Mihashi!”

“That was a textbook launch, Mihashi!”

Mihashi let out a sigh of relief at the safe launch, feeling a thrill go through him at the words of his fellow bridge crewmen. They were _happy_. They seemed to _like him_.

“Set a course for Alpha Centauri. warp four.”

“Alpha Centauri, warp four,” Abe repeated. Mihashi watched him as he calculated the course, then transferred the information to Mihashi. It took the pilot a minute to input the necessary commands, then he sent the Nishiura into warp. The viewscreen seemed to explode as the warp drive kicked in, and suddenly stars were zooming by against the backdrop of space.

“Very good.” Mihashi flushed at the captain’s warm compliment, trying not to squirm in his seat. Captain Momoe then spoke again, her voice holding a commanding tone. “All stations, begin your routine system checks. Report any problems to the bridge immediately.”

Mihashi looked over at Abe at that, knowing that they would be reviewing their systems together. Abe raised an eyebrow at him, then nodded towards their consoles. “Time to see just how well we know our systems.”

Mihashi nodded, then leaned over to look at the navigation panel as Abe started to punch in commands. The mission was off to a smooth start, and he felt like the Nishiura was going to feel like home very soon.

 


End file.
